T
ool & D
ie page 19
Tool & Die
page 19
want me to press record"? Not to mention
you'll be paying that professional person
to sit there and feel that way?
LIVE and LOUD!! vs.
Recording Reality
(INTERNET/RADIO and EVERY-
WHERE):
The main key here is is to get more ac-
customed to the recording process in
general, and how radically different it is
from playing live. Let's face it, windmills
on the guitar look really cool, but they
rarely sound accurate. You can pound
a drum until the head breaks, but how
does it affect your feel or time, and is it
really coming across through that micro-
phone any bigger or louder? Defi nitely
not. Good songwriting aside, making a
record is more about your ability to be ac-
curate, in time, and in tune with the rest
of your band than anything else. Nothing
will reveal the things you want to improve
upon more than recording, critiquing and
re-recording your demo.
Another very harsh fact is that live rock
and roll is a good 20 times louder than
how your song will be heard the most: at
low volumes during work days and car
rides. You cannot hide behind sheer vol-
ume no matter how loud or distorted you
turn it up when the engineer presses re-
cord. Practice your parts, alone, clean
with a metronome as often as possible (to
be discussed in the next column). That's
how naked you will be when you lay your
tracks, and ultimately that's how you will
end up sounding on your record. Espe-
cially if you're the singer. So ditch the dis-
tortion, and don't let that live vocal mic
that you belt into do the work for you.
Learn how to get comfortable without the
volume cause that's how you will be re-
corded. Make sure the instrument sounds
how you want it to sound at the source -
I'm talking about strings, fi ngers and pick,
sticks, cymbals and heads, fi ngers and
keys, and most importantly your voice,
face and posture. It will be dead silent
minus headphones in the isolation booth,
so practice like that and make it happen.
WHOAH - DID I DO
THAT!!??
(LET'S DO IT!!)
Here are some performance self-critique
ideas that making your demo may make
you more aware of:
1) Is that solo too busy? Does my live gui-
tar sound come off too buzzy or tubby?
Am I overdoing it? Does my guitar need
to be intonated?
2) Are we going to record live to a click
track? (To be discussed in the next col-
umn)
3) Does my voice sound better for this
verse low volume and close to the mic?
Am I overdoing it? Should I see a vocal
coach before we lay this down for real to
help me develop my sound?
4) Should this song be at 130 beats per
minute (tempo) or does 126 give it the feel
we want?
5) How is that mega tight snare drum tun-
ing sounding on this song? Can I learn to
tune my drums better overall? Am I over-
doing it?
6) I want doubled rhythm guitar panned
hard left and hard right for this song - Am
I overdoing it?
7) My bass sound is too tubby here, and not
tubby enough there - I'll want at least two
separate sounds (tracks) on this song. Am
I really locked in with the drums? Maybe
I should play fewer notes here and hold
them out (legato) and more short notes
here (staccato).
8) I'm overplaying aren't I?
9) We are all playing the same song....
right? Let's not overdo it
If your rehearsals are songwriting sessions,
and prep's for live shows, you should treat
your demo like a big rehearsal for your al-
bum. Take your time, and never ever be
afraid to re-write your songs... as that's
what the DEVELOPMENT stage is all about.
Keep in mind that many songs we love
have been re-written many, many times
- whether it's a new home for that old riff
that totally rocked, slowing down a song
to make the vocal work, or completely re-
writing lyrics over a killer groove... give it
the time it deserves. Aerosmith recorded
"Dream On" a good 5 years before any-
one heard it.
The best thing about this method of pro-
ducing is you will wind up with a highly de-
veloped sketch of your songs, and possi-
bly an entire album and everyone knows:
a song is a one night stand; an album is a
love affair, a life changing experience.
There is no light without dark, so keep your
dynamics in check. Bring this sketch to a
place with an engineer with highly devel-
oped ears, tube mics, mixers, the coolest
compressors, and the real know-how to
use these tools and you will have a win-
win deal where your dream used to be.
Nothing motivates an engineer more than
a developed artist with vision.
Bio:
David Scott Rockower is a multi instru-
mentalist residing in the upstate New York
region. Originally a producer for MCI re-
cords, he has produced recordings for
Bobby Freeman, Kerry Lee Lewis (Wife of
Jerry Lee Lewis), The Bufftones, Beyond
Records, Sharon MacPherson, and many
more. He has had his recordings featured
on PBS and Clear Channel Radio. David
has Toured with MCI records, Aerosmith
Tribute Toys In The Attic, Square Pegs,
The Bufftones, and Kerry Lee Lewis. Cur-
rently David is a highly acclaimed guitar
teacher in the Albany, NY region teach-
ing over 40 students per week in all styles.
He also really likes cool vegan food and
cool bands!